We stayed at the Jacaranda for a stopover for the last night of our honeymoon and what was supposed to be a romantic, wonderful end turned out to be the worst night of the trip.

We left our fantastic all inclusive hotel (Voyager Beach Resort) in Mombasa at 4.15pm to catch a flight to Nairobi for the stopover that would see us flying home the following morning. Because we left at 4.15pm, we only had lunch. Virgin did not tell us that we were only booked in for B&B at the Jacaranda. Therefore, when we arrived at the hotel, we were told we would have to pay for dinner.

We checked into the hotel and were taken up to our room. It was a TWIN BED ROOM! We were supposed to have a double (this is what we had paid for) and it was also the last night of our honeymoon. We explained this to the porter and he rang down to reception. The female on the reception desk spoke to my husband and simply said the room could not be changed and put the phone down!

I then went downstairs with my husband to speak to the lady on reception but ended up speaking to a male member of staff. He said that he couldn't help and they couldnt change the room. The female butted in and reiterated this also.

In the meantime we went for dinner. I must admit, the meal was very nice - the only good part of our stay (although not much choice) and we had no problems with that but it did seem hugely overpriced.

When we returned to our room, we found the beds had been pushed together. This caused a problem because it meant we could not get the mosquito nets over each bed because they had been moved. Furthermore, when we opened the bathroom door, we found loads of mosquitos flying about in there. We shut the door back up so as to not let them out. We covered ourselves in the insecticide spray we had and hoped for the best. It was one of the worst nights sleep we've ever had.

There was building work going on until very late at night and because of the location of the hotel there was so much noise coming in from the immediate area. Not only that but at about midnight, we were awoken by the noise of lots of mosquitos that had got into the main room. We had to cover right up with the sheets in the bed.

Another thing to mention is the breakfast. We were told by our Virgin Rep that we were to be collected from the hotel at 5.45am but that we still should have breakfast by filling out the room service menu, hanging it on the outside door knob and stating the time we wanted it delivered. Could we find this room service menu anywhere? No. We hunted everywhere for it; through all the hotel literature, literally the whole room. We asked reception 3 times to bring a menu up to our room, all to no avail and so we had no breakfast before we left.

When we checked out, we settled the bill for our dinner from the night before - didnt get a thanks for staying, not even a smile!

In conclusion, this hotel is awful. The staff just dont care, the rooms are not particularly clean and the mosquitos are in abundance.

We were absolutely exhausted. The whole reason for the stopover was to avoid a night flight home and to be honest, we'd probably have got more sleep on the plane. What made it worse was that the stopover was completely unneccesary and we were mis-sold it by Virgin. There were other people from our hotel on the same flight from Nairobi to Heathrow as us!!! They had stayed the night at the Voyager in Mombasa and left only an hour earlier (4.45am) to get a connecting flight from Mombasa to Nairobi and then the Virgin flight home.

Myself and my partner stayed here just for the night on 01/09/09 prior to our Safari. After a long flight from Newcastle via Amsterdam to Nairobi.After about an hour trying to clear customs (even though in possesion of a visa) you still had to fill out 3or 4 forms to get you cleared, health reason for visit etc. Then approx 1hr transfer through the horrendous traffic, we arrived at the Jacaranda to what appeared to be a pleasent, clean efficiently run hotel where the rep met us straight away. Everybody else was sat in the marquee awaitng our arrival. We went straight through the dining room only to be teased by a hot breakfast being served (which we were dying for).We were only B&B here so it was essential to get some grub after the flight with KLM/KENYAN AIRWAYS which was absolutely terrible. The rep, then as reps do went directly into what was going to happen the next day with the departure for the SAFARI and trying to sell balloon safari,s cheap if you want to pay £500 for a glass of Asti and want to share a ballon basket with another 14 yes 14 people, this was all well and good but myself all i was interested in was getting something to eat(so were all the others but they were to polite) so we left for the dining room. The food here was actually very good but also very expensive, we were then shown to our rooms and left for the day to ourselves. The rooms were ok, no double beds but 2 singles in each room, English plug sockets, they overlook on one side a shopping centre and on the other a main road so traffic noise was great. Nobody ever tells you when you arrive that there is building work going on, but there was, so if you want to laze around the pool you could do but you have the eyes of a 100 builders on you all the time.We, as couple of other people chose to do that evening ate out just to get out of the hotel, as you are transitting they think they have a captive audience which they then exploit with costs. We had booked a restaurant called the Carnivore which was a real treat, if you get the chance go there we booked on line from the UK, glad we did as it was packed. Departure the next day was very organised as the Rep and reception then separate you into your respective safari buses and pack your excess luggage into a store room for you to collect at the end of your safari. The storage costs nothing as its part of the service unlike some travel companies who charge a storage fee. Would i go back possibly again as a transit guest. Ps Kenya is totally non smoking, that includes in public places, even walking down the street.

We were concerned about staying in the Jacaranda after the reviews we read but knew it was only for an overnight stay before we started our Safari. However the hotel ended up ruining the rest of the week!!

The Jacaranda is not in an idyllic loacation so do not go if you are looking for a nice view!!! The porters seemed ok when we arrived and took our bags to our room. Remember you have to tip. We had a welcome talk straight away. It was freezing cold and there was nowhere to go but outside. The room seemed ok until you looked closely and found pubic hairs on the floor and in the bath. The bed sheets also had stains on them. Then the noise started. We had had an overnight flight from London so was very tired. We were informed by Virgin that building work is going on at the hotel which indeed it is. However they failed to inform us that there is also a new hotel being built on the doorstep. Building work went on all day and it was impossible to relax. Workmen are every where and you cannot sit by the pool as they all stand watching you. Several people who had arrived with us rang Virgin to complain as the building work was extremely loud and dreadful looking but the hotel denied the work was anything to do with them which is true as they are only building a gym. They refused to comment on the hotel being built which can hardly be described as being next door as it is on the same grounds.

We then went down for lunch at the hotel bar. I ordered a chicken sandwich and after a few bites it was clear the chicken was raw and hadn't been cooked properly. Unsuprisingly, I then had food poisoning which ruined the next four days of our safari (and we were on our honeymoon). All food in the Hotel bar was well over priced. In the evening we went over to the Pizza resturant as it seemed highly spoke of on here. However we cannot compliment it in the same way as the staff were extremely rude. When we tried to order of the menu, half of the food was unavaliable. We then had a problem ordering sealed bottled water as they kept bringing it in glasses.

We tried to complain about the uncooked food, unfriendly staff, poor service and building work but they were uninterested. I cannot believe that a reputable travel company such as Virgin are happy to have this hotel in their brochure as it is a very poor reflection on them.

My advice for everyone, evening honeymoon couples like us, find a Youth Hostel for the night!!! If you have to stay here, I would advise you go over to the shopping centre across the road and buy some snacks there for your stay.

Furthermore if you are travelling with Virgin, don't get caught out and remember this hotel is only B&B. The Full Board for Safari does not start until the following morning. We were unaware of this as Virgin had not told us, so you will need to purchase your own food for lunch and dinner.

Mine is only one review but whilst we were there we saw guests on their honeymoon in tears as a result and we were not the only guests with uncooked food.

I wouldn't even recommed this for an overnight stop, especially when you are in need of the rest after the overnight flight and in preparation for the following morning's early start if you are on safari.

We were quite worried about staying here overnight before going on safari as the reviews have not been great. However we found this hotel comfortable and pleasant. There is building work going on by the pool and it is noisy during the day, but no problem at night. The staff are friendly and even escorted us across the road to the pizza restaurant they own. The rooms were adequate with mosquito nets and a safe. The breakfast was good with a large selection of choices.